Winter of the Firelord
by firelordandlady
Summary: Eight months after Aang saves the world from Firelord Ozai, Zuko is struggling with the pressures of his new role as firelord, and Katara still feels guilty over leaving Aang. When Iroh urges Zuko and Katara to take a vacation to relieve some stress, they discover that Aang is in trouble, and Katara gets a surprise that will change everything.
1. Chapter 1

1

He had wanted to surprise her.

A plum blossom branch from his walk in the garden. _A beautiful winter flower_, he had wanted to say, _for my beautiful water princess._

Even the thought of her smile could melt away the winter faster than any fire from his hands.

But when he reached the door, he paused. Listened, just for a moment, to the sharp, trembling gasps, and the silence of held breath, that meant she was still not better, though she tried to pretend she was.

Quietly, plum branch tucked behind him, Zuko opened the door.

"I thought you promised me you'd stopped blaming yourself," he said gently.

Katara turned away, wiping her face quickly.

He set the branch down and sat on the bed beside her, wrapping his arm around her. She buried her face in his robes, sobbing freely.

After a long moment, she looked up at him. "Six months," she cried. "It's been six months since he's spoken to me. I keep writing, but he won't answer… Zuko, I feel terrible. After all he did for me.…"

It was not the first time they had had this conversation. But he knew how much it meant to her, and he was willing to have it again and again, as long as she needed it. "You did a lot for him, too. You stood by him all the way to the end, and you saved his life more than once. This was your choice, Katara. You have a right to choose. He understands that."

"I know," she said. "And I don't regret my choice." She looked at him, the smallest smile touching her lips, and suddenly he wanted to take her into his arms and spin her around and never let go—but then she turned away, and the smile was gone. "I just… I never wanted to hurt him."

He took her hand in his. "Aang will come around eventually. I know he will. He cares too much about you to not stay friends. Just give him time."

She smiled weakly. "You're probably right." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess."

"You have a right to feel what you feel. And"—he smiled, leaning in—"you're worth the mess." He kissed her slowly, softly, and she melted into him. _My water princess.  
_

When they broke apart, he picked up the plum branch. "I found this in the garden," he said. "It reminded me of you. Beautiful and bright and blooming, even in the winter."

Katara smiled shyly. "Winter isn't so cold when you have a firelord to keep you warm." She reached for his crown, removing it gently from his hair, which fell freely about his shoulders. He had been growing it out, partly in firelord custom, and partly because Katara had expressed interest in it. She ran her fingers through it now, kissing him, and he drew her close, the fire rising sharply within him.

Katara giggled. "I told you," she murmured.

He slipped one of her sleeves down her shoulder, kissing her neck. Her skin was soft against his mouth, and her breathing rose in pitch when he bit her gently.

Pushing him forward suddenly, Katara stripped him of his fire nation robes and loosened the waistband of her water tribe dress, letting it fall away behind her. Her exposed skin prickled with goose bumps, her long hair falling around her shoulders and breasts. She pinned him down like a wildcat, leaning over him, breathless with the sudden movement. Within him, the fire raged.

"You're freezing," Zuko said, pulling her chest to his own, warming her with his inner fire. Suddenly, he flipped her over, taking charge, his hands moving over her body as he kissed her; and as he warmed her with his mouth and hands, Zuko was warmed in turn by her cries of pleasure, and by her flesh beneath him, until he entered her, his water princess, his love, squeezing her flesh, kissing her fiercely—and around them, the candle flames flared dangerously in his passion.

. . .

Would she ever get used to waking beside him?

Katara looked at his sleeping face, at the soft mouth that had loved her, at the scar that had made it so hard for him to love. Her eyes stung with tears at the thought of what his father had done to him. She wanted to pull him close, to kiss away the years of pain, to tell his younger self that he was loved, would always be loved. Not for the first time, she felt a rush of gratitude for Iroh. Where would her Zuko be without his uncle's love and guidance? It had been so long since they had seen him—they would have to visit soon. But Zuko was so busy being firelord….

She wanted to kiss him, but she knew she should let him sleep. Softly, Katara slipped out of bed—she was cold in her nakedness without him—and donned her water tribe robe and her mother's necklace. She picked up the plum branch Zuko had given her, smiling at the memory, and placed it in a vase of water by the bed.

She had a right to choose. This was her choice, and she did not regret it. Zuko was no longer the boy from the cave in Ba Sing Se, who had lured her into trusting him and had betrayed her. He was a man now, and a leader, and working to create peace in a world torn apart by his father. He had changed. And he understood her better than Aang ever could.

Suddenly Katara was irritated. Aang had no right to be angry with her for so long. They had been friends, not lovers—they had kissed only a handful of times, and they had danced, and she had liked him, yes, but that was all. He might be over a hundred years old, but he was still just a child, and she was a young woman, old enough to marry. She had liked Aang, but she loved Zuko. And it was time for Aang to accept that.

Zuko stirred then, his brow furrowed in sleep. Since becoming firelord, he had had so many nightmares—about his father burning and banishing him, about his advisors plotting behind his back, about Azula overthrowing him, about the world burning under the Fire Nation flag. There was so much pressure on him as the new firelord, and so much work to be done, and Katara knew it was overwhelming for him. She touched his sleeping hand. "Shhh, it's okay," she murmured. She wished she could do more to help him.

Zuko opened his eyes with a gasp. "Katara," he said, grasping her hand. The dream had left him breathless, heart pounding.

She gave him a minute to calm down. "Zuko," she finally said, gently. "This has been happening too often. You're too stressed."

"Of course I'm stressed! The world depends on me to set things right. After all the damage the Fire Nation has caused—the damage _my father _caused—I have to do something to fix it. But it's too much. I'm falling apart. I can't even _sleep_."

She sat on the bed beside him. "Zuko… I've been thinking," she said. "Why don't we take a day off and visit your uncle? You haven't seen him in so long, and I think it would be good for you. You could talk to him."

"Iroh chose the kind of life he wants to live. He doesn't want to get involved in politics."

"But he cares about you, Zuko! More than anything."

"More than tea?"

She shoved him playfully. "Yes, more than tea. He would want to see you. And he always has good advice. I think he can help."

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course." She kissed him. "Now let's get ready, Firelord."

. . .

When they opened the door to The Jasmine Dragon that evening, Iroh said, "I'm sorry, but we just closed!" But when he saw his nephew and Katara, his eyes lit up, and he nearly dropped his tray of empty tea cups. "Zuko!" He paused to set the tray down carefully, then rushed to his nephew, embracing him. "Nephew, it has been too long. And Katara." He hugged her too. "Come in, come in! We just closed, but I think I can afford one more pot. Which would you like today? We have jasmine, ginseng, oolong—"

"Jasmine is fine."

"For me, too, please." Katara smiled gratefully.

They followed Iroh inside, sitting themselves at a table.

"So what brings you to The Jasmine Dragon today?" Iroh asked, spooning the curled tea leaves into a cast iron pot.

"Actually, Uncle, I was hoping you could give me some advice."

"What troubles you, Zuko?"

He sighed. "I just… I don't know if I can do it. Be a firelord. Rule over a nation. Maybe my father was right to banish me. Maybe I really _am _incompetent."

Katara put a hand on his arm. "Zuko, you know that's not true." She turned to Iroh. "I keep telling him he's doing fine. He's a better firelord by far than his father was, or than any firelord before him—he's created peace after a time of great war, and he's trying to repair the wrongs that the Fire Nation has done to the world. It's just… he's so stressed all the time, and he's having these nightmares. It's…"

"… such a burden," Zuko finished.

Iroh brought the teapot and cups to their table, sitting. "Zuko," he said, "leading a nation is a huge responsibility for anyone. But it is even more difficult when that nation is going through a period of great change. For a _single person_ to bear that responsibility alone is not only difficult, but impossible."

"Then how—?"

"But you are _not_ alone, Zuko. You have experienced advisors in the Fire Nation who can help you, and you have your friends. And Katara." He smiled at her. "And of course the White Lotus is always willing to help in the quest for peace." He poured their tea, setting the steaming cups before them.

Zuko was silent for a moment. "But Uncle… what if I don't want to be the firelord? I used to think it was my destiny, that because of my father's blood I have to rule the Fire Nation, and because of my mother's I have to bring peace to the world…. But I can't do it. I'm miserable. I'm stressed. So much depends upon me, and I'm so inexperienced. And it's hard for Katara to live in the Fire Nation, away from everyone, after what they did to her. I wish I could just relax! Spend some time with Katara, travel, enjoy my life. I spent so many years alone, and hating myself, and now that I'm finally happy, I don't even have the time to appreciate it."

"You were never alone, Zuko. But I understand how you feel. Maybe you should go on a vacation. Take a break! Make sure you have people in place to take care of things in the Fire Nation, and then travel the world together. There is so much to see, and it is a lot safer now that there is peace."

"I wish I could," he said. "But what if my advisors turn against me while I'm gone? What if Azula escapes or takes over, and the Fire Nation tries to conquer the world again?"

Iroh sipped his tea. "The White Lotus has been keeping a close watch over the Fire Nation. If your advisors or Azula try anything, we will be there to stop them. Trust me, Zuko—most of the Fire Nation is glad for the peace. They don't want another war. Take a vacation."

"It would be nice to get away," Katara said.

Zuko turned to her. He could definitely use a break from being firelord. And if Iroh was confident the Fire Nation would be fine while he was away….

"Maybe just a week or two," he said.

Iroh beamed. "I'm glad you are doing this, Zuko. I truly think it will be good for you."

"Thank you, Uncle. I'm glad I came here." He squeezed Katara's hand.

Iroh smiled at them. "And I'm glad that you have someone in your life to lead you here. My door is always open to you both. Now have some tea, Zuko, before it gets cold!"


	2. Chapter 2

2

They began their vacation in a private Fire Nation balloon—a modified war balloon with a newer, less threatening design, at Zuko's request. He wanted to show Katara around the Fire Nation first, which she had initially protested—"I thought we wanted to get _away _from the Fire Nation for a bit"—but there was so much more to the Fire Nation than the war had shown her, and he wanted her to see some of its beauty.

Their first stop was the mountains. "It's beautiful up there, and they have the most incredible hot springs," he promised her. "We could find one that no one goes to, away from the towns. What do you think?"

Katara smiled. "I would like that."

So they flew first to the mountains. The air was freezing—it was winter, after all—but the same fire that he used to keep the balloon in the air kept them fairly warm, and they actually had to remove some of their winter layers. When they saw an empty hot spring secluded by the mountain's terrain, Zuko lowered their balloon carefully beside it.

"It's beautiful!" Katara said. Zuko smiled. "Just wait until you get in," he said. "They say the water has healing properties. It's even supposed to reduce stress."

"Then this should be perfect for you."

He shoved her gently, grinning. "Let's get in."

With a sweeping motion, he made a circle of fire around them to fight off the mountain cold as they undressed. When they were ready, Zuko opened the fire circle, and they slowly stepped into the steaming spring, sinking into the water up to their necks. Katara closed her eyes beside him, sighing peacefully, and together they soaked up the spring's healing warmth.

"Iroh loves these springs," he said. "He says they're like tea for the whole body."

Katara laughed, opening her eyes. "As much as I love your uncle, I'm glad he isn't here now." She waded closer to him in the steaming water, her dark hair splayed out in the pool behind her.

While Zuko could not see much beneath the water's surface, he was very aware of Katara's nakedness beside him—and maybe it was the steam, but he felt suddenly very hot.

She wrapped her arms around him in the water, and he felt her softness press against him, and her warm lips on his mouth, and he kissed her, pulling her close. After a moment, she suddenly hoisted herself up, wrapping her legs around his waist, but Zuko was thrown off balance and splashed backwards in the water, laughing. Katara created an air bubble around their heads, and together they sunk beneath the hot water, Katara's legs still wrapped around his waist, their heavy breathing strangely amplified in the bubble around them.

"Well," Zuko said, looking over her—at her hair flowing out in the water every which way, like a cloud of wild ink, and at her breasts hovering just above him in the water—marveling at the feeling of his hips floating just above the floor, so close to hers—"This is definitely new."

She smiled mischievously at his wandering gaze, and he craned his head just slightly to kiss her right breast, sucking lightly, his other hand brushing over her left nipple. He felt himself harden as she moaned his name, her legs tightening around his waist. "Are you ready?" he asked her, still playing with her breast, and her cry of "Yes!" rung through their air bubble as she lowered her hips for him to find his place inside her.

And so it was that they made love at the bottom of the mountain spring, free of gravity, and free of sound, except for their own amplified groans of pleasure.

When Zuko finished, and his breathing began to calm, Katara drew them back up to the surface. It sounded so different to be back in the world again, as if his ears had been cleared. But the moment was short-lived, for they were no longer alone—the spring had filled with snow monkey squirrels, who squawked and chattered at them in panic at their sudden appearance, flicking their bushy tails aggressively.

"We'd better go!" Katara said, laughing, and Zuko brought back the circle of fire so they could climb back out into the cold, dressing themselves quickly and running back to the balloon, still dripping, and laughing all the way.

When they found an abandoned mountain cave to stay the night, they stowed away their balloon at the back of the cave, and Zuko lit a fire to warm them. After a dinner of salted pork and rice balls from their pack, they sat by the fire, wrapped in furs.

"Today was nice," he said. "That was quite an adventure at the spring."

Katara smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "It was, wasn't it?"

And suddenly Katara was laughing, and then he was laughing too, and it wasn't just the memory of running naked from snow monkey squirrels, it was _her_—the joy in her face, the sound of her laugh—and he realized it had been a long time since he had laughed like that. _Iroh was right_, he thought. _I really needed this._

He rested his head on her shoulder, taking her hand, gazing into her blue eyes.

_I really need her._


End file.
